State Lawmakers Will Confront Handful Of Highway Safety Bills

Like a pitchman for immortality, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Max Shell spends half his work week telling people they don`t have to die.

Lecturing groups on the life-saving value of seat belts, Shell invites skeptics to ride the FHP`s Convincer. The two-wheel device gives riders the sense of driving a car into a brick wall at 7 mph.

As the jolt sets in, doubters become believers, he said.

``I sit here and collect statistics on people killed because of not wearing seat belts, and it`s depressing. No law the Legislature could pass would save so many lives as one for mandatory seat belts,`` said Shell, who`s based in Lantana.

A bill to require use of seat belts is among a handful of highway safety measures Florida lawmakers will tackle when the Legislature convenes April 8.

Other proposals would toughen drunken-driving laws and limit drinking in vehicles. One controversial measure would require licensed drivers 70 years of age and older to pass a road test every two years.

``Sometimes you have to protect your own society from issues that relate to privilege. And driving an auto in the state of Florida is a privilege,`` said Rep. Fred Lippman, D-Hollywood.

Lippman is chief House sponsor of the legislation (HB 40) requiring mandatory seat belt use for drivers and front-seat passengers. Sen. George Stuart, D- Orlando, has introduced a similar bill (SB 210) in the Senate.

Proponents of seat belt legislation say 800 lives a year could be saved on Florida roads if drivers were forced to buckle up.

``Some legislators feel these are areas we should not interfere in,`` said Sen. Don Childers, D-West Palm Beach, sponsor of a bill (SB 29) that would ban happy hours and another (SB 32) to limit drinking in moving vehicles.

Drinking while driving already is banned in Broward County. Palm Beach County commissioners tentatively have approved a similar measure.

``There`s no constitutional right allowing you to operate a motor vehicle,`` Childers said. ``And this is probably going to be a good year in the Legislature for these type of bills.``

The insurance and auto industries are pushing the seat belt bills. Some facets of the proposed drinking laws may even gain support from members of the liquor lobby.

Sen. Jack Gordon could use a dose of Childers` optimism -- and backing. The Miami Beach Democrat is sponsoring the bill (SB 118) requiring road tests every two years for elderly drivers.

Heavy resistance already is being felt from Florida`s senior citizens.

Senate President Harry Johnston, D-West Palm Beach, has set his sights on the so-called ``deadly drunk`` in this legislative session.

He plans to introduce a bill calling for mandatory three-day jail sentences for drivers with a blood alcohol level of 0.2 percent, or twice the legal limit. Convicted drunken drivers under age 21 would lose their driver licenses.

``These are the high-risk Florida drivers, the people who pose the greatest danger to our families,`` Johnston said.

But it`s not just on roadways that state lawmakers seek to leave their mark this spring. Gun owners, cable television viewers and the jai-alai and horse racing industries face changes under proposed legislation.

``Find a county where you have gun control and you`ll find a county where the crime rate is higher,`` said Rep. Ron Johnson, whose bill (HB 1) would repeal all local firearms ordinances, giving the state sole power to regulate guns.

The legislation would kill about 400 local laws in 188 cities and 53 counties, including Broward and Palm Beach County.

Johnson, the National Rifle Association`s Outstanding Legislator of the Year, also will ask the Legislature to override Gov. Bob Graham`s veto last year of measures (HB 406 and SB 661) giving the state permission to issue concealed- weapons permits. Only local governments currently are so empowered.

And some lawmakers and interest groups are seeking to black out sexually explicit portions of movies shown on cable television.

``Just as cable operators have rights, so have women, children and others in this society,`` Carole Griffin, lobbyist for the Florida Coalition for Clean Cable, said of the bill (HB 319) sponsored by Rep. Herb Morgan, D-Tallahassee.

Other legislation (HJR 277) seeks to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot making English the official language of Florida.